Market down in the second quarter

In the first semester of 2020, 8,897 construction machines has been sold in the Italian market, with a drop of 19% compared to the same period in 2019. In deeper details, earth moving machines sold were 5,561 (-20%), while 246 were the road machineries sold ( 6%). This is what emerges from the last market survey carried out by Unacea, the Italian association construction equipment association.

On the other hand, comparing the second quarter 2020 to the same period of 2019 - therefore including the lockdown period imposed due to the emergence of Covid-19 - the Italian market recorded a loss of 23%. Between March and June 2020, 3,055 earth moving machines were sold, with a loss of 24% y-o-y, while the road machines sector maintain a moderate growth of 3%, with 159 units sold.

Even more significant the decline of exportations, that from January to April 2020 reached €367 millions, down 32% on year basis. According to the last Foreign Trade Report Unacea-CER published in July, the contraction of export affected all the segments of the industry: road machines (-48%), drilling equipment (-41%), earth-moving machines (-36%), concrete equipment (-34%), tower cranes (-33%) and crushing and screening equipment (-13%). Stable the import (+1%), while the trade balance recorded a loss of 48% y-o-y, maintaining in any case a surplus of €333 million.

Finally, looking at the results of a sentiment survey conducted by Unacea among the Italian companies of construction equipment, 96% of the sample forecasts a loss at the end of 2020. However, only the 9% of the sample estimates losses over 30%, while the 57% of the sample expect a drop up to 20%.

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